Wednesday, July 09, 2008

No poo zip-a-dee-doo -- my answer to homemade shampoo

I went no-poo.

Four months, and I'm still trucking.

Here's how it plays out for me ...

I usually just rinse my hair. However, about once a week, I do a baking soda wash and ACV (apple cider vinegar) rinse. I keep a cup in the shower. To make the wash, I put in a tablespoon of baking soda in the cup, fill it up the rest of the way with water, pour it over my head and scrub for about a minute. Then, I rinse like crazy (because I'm about to do the ACV and don't want a volcano science experiment happening on my head). I do the same thing for the ACV rinse - one tablespoon of ACV in the cup, fill it up with water and dump it over my hair.

Some people leave the ACV rinse on, while some rinse it out. I rinse slightly.

And NO, you will not smell like vinegar all day. When vinegar dries, the smell is gone. I can't believe you're even asking me that. Have I taught you NOTHING this year??

On some really skanky days in between, I may do the wash and the rinse. Sometimes I might just want to do the rinse to soften a bit. I'm learning my hair, and it changes with the weather (and the hormones!).

My hair gets a full wash and condition at the salon, but pops right back into all natural mode just fine.

One time I totally caved, and ended up being miserable. Shampoos strip my hair. The only way to style it is to cake on products. It's an addiction. I couldn't see how healthy my hair is naturally until I detoxed from store-bought shampoos.

23 comments:

Awesome! I've been no-'pooing for the same amount of time and I love it! I love that I don't need any product to style my hair with! Unfortunately, I had a recent set back with a stylist, some chemical hair dye, and some shampoo and conditioner not up to no 'poo standards, so I'm going through detox again; ugh! But I'm looking forward to moving past it soon.

Hi Christine - Found you from WFMW. Just from a few minutes roaming around your site, I can tell that I am going to love reading your stuff. Oh, and the shampoo thing... I would totally try this, but what about sweaty hair? I workout several times a week and only rinsing that out makes me think I would stank....

I am SO thrilled to find another no-pooer! My hair stylist (whose hair always looks amazing) told me that she hasn't washed her hair in six months, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I haven't been able to make it past seven days before I cave and wash it, and my other trouble is I hate getting my hair wet and blow-drying it everyday. But wouldn't you say that rinsing your hair everyday is a must if you stop shampooing it???

*serious epiphany*... I am going to live in the wilderness for two weeks starting Monday... what a PERFECT time to try this! I will be giving it a two week go and see what happens to my hair. Thanks for the inspiration you teenaged looking woman you!!!!!!!!

Homeschool Mommy, you might be using straight vinegar (and using it on your skin means it is in a constant state of moisture, because that's what our pores constantly emit).

Use a half water - half vinegar solution for cleaning, and make sure that where you are using it there is good ventilation. My family uses it everywhere in the house - everywhere. There is no lingering vinegar smell - I would know, because I really HATE that smell.

I had people randomly smelling my head for the first few weeks, and no one ever smelled vinegar!

Okay, so I'm late to the party. I have super long, super thick hair. I have naturally strawberry blonde hair so I don't have to worry about the coloring. My hair is generally healthy and I don't wash it but once a week. MAYBE twice, if I'm feeling frisky. My question to you is are you doing the no 'poo thing because you don't want to buy the product.. save the planet thing... or do you think that it makes your hair more healthy and manageable?

Hi, this is my first time visiting your blog and I'm really interested in the no-poo thing. I've had people tell me about it before, but they didn't tell me to use anything at all on it and I caved after a week. I have very thick hair and usually only wash it every two or three days. I would love a bit more info on how to start this. Do you rinse with the ACV during the detox? I suppose I would have to give up all my hair products, even during detox, right? (I don't use hairspray, just lots of products to defrizz and moisturize.) Anyway, I would love to hear more about this.jennlee_123@yahoo.com

crap i write about

years of drivel

"My story is important not because it is mine, God knows, but because if I tell it anything like right, the chances are you will recognize that in many ways it is also yours.
Maybe nothing is more important than that we keep track, you and I,of these stories of who we are and where we have come from and the people we have met along the way because it is precisely through these stories, in all their particularity, as I have long believed and often said, that God makes himself known to each of us most powerfully and personally."